Christopher Fenoglio was passing this heart warming poem out at Blissdom 2009.bKristin and the Secret Santa is a book with a poem based on the way Fenoglio and his wife told their children about Santa Claus. It is a cute story with very beautiful illustrations in the book that answer the question “Is Santa Claus Real?” I really enjoyed reading their version and is a great way to celebrate Santa while keeping true to the spirit of the season. The only hesitation I have with this book is the price. It is $9.95 + Shipping and it really isn’t a book with a hardcover and is only 6-7 pages.

Candor by Pam Bachorz.

Imagine Stepford Wives from a teen perspective. Imagine a perfect town where teens love to do homework, obey their parents, always eat healthy, and never question authority. This is the town of Candor.

Candor, an engineered town where the residents are controlled by subliminal messages such as “Parents Always Know What is Best for their Children,” or “One must be careful to maintain a balanced diet.” Personally, I could use the always eat healthy subliminal message on a daily basis. Free will from the residents is gone and they are completely controlled by the daily messages.

If someone gets out of line, they get a clean slate by going to a reprogramming room.

One teen knows the secret and how to beat it. The founder’s own son, Oscar, who uses this knowledge to his own personal gain. A secret he keeps to himself while he maintains his “perfect” image.

Things change when a new troubled teenager named Nia arrives in town. In this book, you will see the power of love and a difficult choice a teenager has to make in his journey to struggle with defiance or conformity.

The book ending left me wanting more, which I won’t go into because I don’t want to spoil the book for you. I’m hoping this is the beginning of a new series.

While living in Celebration, Florida, Walt Disney Company’s “perfect” town, Pam Bachorz came up with the idea to write Candor. This is her first novel (of many, I hope.)

Candor is a very easy read and I think it would be enjoyable for young adults as well as adults. Retails for $16.99 but on sale at Amazon as of this posting for just $11.55.

As part of the One to One Network, I was sent Eileen Goudge’s newest book, Once in a Blue Moon, to read and share my thoughts with my readers. This was such a captivating book, I couldn’t put it down and had it read in just two days. If I read a book quickly, I know it is one I love because I just can’t read books I’m not interested in.

Some of you may know Eileen Goudge from previous novels such as Woman in Red and three other New York Times best sellers. After finishing, Once in a Blue Moon, I now want to read the rest of the Goudge’s book especially if they as honest as this Once in a Blue Moon.

Two sisters, separated at a early age, who experienced a hard life growing up but at least they had each other are reunited after almost thirty years. These conditions under which they are reunited are less than ideal. Kerri Ann and Lindsay are like oil and water and raised with completely polar experiences.

Kerri Ann seeks out her sister as learning of her existence because as a former drug addict, she has lost custody of the light of her life her daughter, Bella.  Lindsay in intangled in a court battle of her own as she tries to save the home she grew up in with her adopted parents from being turned into a lavish resort.

While the reunion was not the one either imagined, each sister grows in their way throughout the book. With the help of Miss Honi, the story has humor interwined as well. In the end, you will see that the bond of blood is strong despite the sisters’ differences.

Leaving the Bellweathers is an imaginative and whimsical story about a family and their butler, Tristan Benway. Kristin Clark Venuti’s first book is one that will keep the attention of your middle school child through the humor and off beat mayhem.

When the Bellweather’s four children discover that Benway is planning on leaving their family once his “time” is up, they band together to show him how much he is needed within their family. The siblings include fourteen year old Spider, thirteen year old Ninda, and ten year old triples, Brike, Spike, and Sassy.

Benway plans to pack his bags, write a tell all memoir about this eccentric family, and move to a tropical location far away from this family. But does he really want to leave?

I enjoyed this amusing story full of comedy, dedication, and an unforgettable family!

I recently posted about my addiction to the Sookie Stackhouse series. However, Charlaine Harries writes beyond the Sookie Stackhouse books. While the Sookie Stackhouse may be the most widely known because of the HBO series, the other series are just as well written.

After devouring the Sookie Stackhouse books, I decided to move on to the Harper Connelly series. After being hit by Lightning, Harper Connelly develops a special “gift” of being able to find dead bodies. She can also tell the exact method they died. With her “brother” Tolliver Lang, they travel the country using her gift to earn their income.

This gift of course, gets Harper into all sorts of pickles. Mysteries are solved by her gift as well as using good detective methods. The characters and stories are well woven together and if you are mystery fan, you will enjoy this series. Currently, there are three books out: Grave Site, Grave Surprise, and An Ice Cold Grave. The next book, Grave Secret, will be released in October and I’ve already purchased the pre-release Kindle edition for my iPhone.

I just recently finished the first book of the Lily Bard Shakespeare series and have been enjoying this series as well. These books are also mysteries. However, Lily Bard has no special supernatural gift. She is a survivor who does have fighting skills! She is unusual and you will enjoy her character as the cleaning lady who knows everyone’s secrets yet keeps a zipped lip.

Personally, I would be thrilled if either one of these book series became a television series. I see great potential for a fun, mysterious series with the right cast of characters.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

I was recently sent The Skinny on Card Cards, the newest book in The Skinny On series by Jim Randel. The Skinny on Series is a set of books that takes complicated information and puts it into an entertaining story version – I found myself laughing out loud while reading this  book!

Inspired by the Manga literary form from Japan, the stick figures in the book – Billy & Beth with help from Jim Randel learn about the ins and outs of the credit card game.

Are you credit card savvy? Take this quiz to find out!

These books are a very easy read but also educational. In our busy lives, it is hard to get motivated to sit down and read a traditional non-fiction bo0k.  The Skinny on Credit Cards translates all the information into language all of us can understand in a fun and informative way.

Now, if only the credit card companies would write their terms in language we could all understand!

I had the opportunity to interview the genius behind this series on Bargain Talk. One of the key points Jim discussed was that the credit cards are not the evil empire. They are doing us a service but in the process they have lost sight that there are people involved. We can help ourselves by educating ourselves!

The Skinny on Credit Cards teaches you (in an entertaining way!):

• Escape from credit card debt
• Improve your credit score
• Lower your interest rate (APR)
• Identify credit company tricks
• Select the right credit card
• Protect yourself against fraud
• Teach your kids about debt
• Avoid paying fees

I think this is a must read for anyone but since it is graduation season – this is a great gift idea for any graduate. In the book, Billy & Beth teach their son Jake financial responsibility with credit cards because when you get to campus you will be tempted by all the FREE offers going on!

By educating ourselves, we can all become smarter consumers so we can all use our credit cards more responsibly!

The Skinny On Credit Cards retails for $14.95 and can be purchased at major retailers such as Amazon! Great bargain and you will save money with what you learn in this book.

Do you ever wonder what your unborn child will look like, be like, act like, or desire in life? In Bond with Your Baby Before Birth, psychic Kim O’Neill offers her guided channeling techniques to help moms-to-be tap into the deep intuitive powers of pregnancy and meet their unborn child before birth.

Bond with Your Baby Before Birth: How to Communicate with Your Unborn Child by Kim O’Neill is an interesting book. Interesting is very descriptive, eh? I say interesting because I’m not sure how I feel about psychics. I’m not knocking people who do because that is your perspective.

To follow along with the author you have to believe in psychics, reincarnation, telepathy and all of that. So if you believe in that kind of stuff, this is a great book for you!  Her tips can help you:

• Receive messages from your unborn child
• Discover your child’s life purpose and destiny
• Interpret pregnancy dreams

If you are more like me, you may not want to buy this book. I did find the personal short stories about other mother’s experiences throughout the book heart warming. Still. not sure if **I** believe O’Neill’s claims that your child chooses to be a twin/singlet, physical appearance, etc. I believe you can communicate with your baby in utereo but not in the same way as the author. I do believe talking, singing, and reading to your child while in utereo is beneficial to you and your baby.

Since I’ve started blogging, I haven’t had much time for another one of my hobbies – reading. While, Willow is not a book I would have found on my own since it is targeted for young adults, I’m glad it was put in front of me. Once I started reading it, I could.not.put.it.down. It was a quick read for me but not an unemotional one.

Willow by Julia Hoban is about a 17 year old young woman who has recently lost both of her parents in a car accident. She is tormented by guilt and begins cutting herself to cope. Cutting is a disorder you rarely hear about and it was painful and sad to read about the cutting. A classmate named Guy discovers her secret and forces her to let someone “in.”

While the cutting was painful to read, it was more painful and raw to read about how Willow mistakenly believed her brother blamed her for her parent’s death. Again, this was another book I was bawling about when Willow said “She would never be anyone’s daughter again.” How she believed she would never be number one for anyone again like you are with your own parents.  One would believe the author had experienced the pain of losing a parent at a young age.

Living with her brother and his wife, Willow hides her self mutilating secret from her family but can not hide it from her classmate. After Guy discovers her secret, he refuses to allow Willow to self destruct. He is there for her when she needs it no matter how uncomfortable it makes him. Guy and Willow share a bond with their love of eccentric books and their love story is intertwined with the grief and guilt Willow feels about the loss of her parents.

One thing this book did leave me with was desiring more information about Guy. Not much about his story is told. Why is he compassionate beyond a normal teenager?

This book is written in third person, which is my preferred narrative for reading fiction. It is also a book beyond cutting. Really, anyone with any kind of self destructive behavior can see some of themselves in Willow.

I recommend this book to mature teenagers because of the graphic scenes of the cutting throughout the book. It is available April 2nd from Dial Books. I look forward to more books from Julia Hoban.

I have two colorful, fun books to tell you about from author and illustrator, Leslie Patricelli. These books are simple stories which are fun and silly. The illustrations are bright and imaginative. The first book we read was board book Baby Happy Baby Sad. Those are the only words in the entire book. At first, I thought it was kind of silly. After reading it with my almost three year old several times, I realized how fun it was because you weren’t restricted to the words in the book and you can create your own stories about the pictures as you go along.

Sofia absolutely loved this book. (So much she has chewed up the corned on it!) Contrasting pictures of a happy baby and then a sad baby will have your child giggling throughout the book.

The second book is the newly released Higher! Higher! It has a similar concept as Baby Happy Baby Sad with expressive pictures to let your imagination go wild. The illustrations are just amazing through out this book. Sofia seemed to enjoy Baby Happy Baby Sad more than Higher! Higher! due to there being a “baby” in the first book while there is an older child in Higher! Higher!

Other titles from Leslie Patricelli include: Binky, Blankie, BIG Little, Quiet LOUD, Yummy YUCKY, and The Birthday Box. Recommended age is 2-5. Baby Happy Baby Sad retails for $6.99. Higher! Higher! has a retail price of $15.99.

Thanks Team Mom for the opportunity to review these books!

I can see why Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister’s Memoir is Eva Longoria’s new favorite read. I mostly bawled during the entire book as it was very emotional for me to read not just because of Pamela’s disease but the power of two sister’s bond.  While I didn’t want to put the book down, I had to read it in sections because I was so emotional while reading it.

Heather Summerhayes Cariou promised her sister Pamela, she would tell their story. Summerhayes Cariou has accomplished this in this beautifully written book about pain, hope, and a family pulling together through a crisis.

A child who is dying says, in that case, I’d better had some fun before I go. The child who sits next to the child who is dying asks, how dare I have fun when my sister is dying. ~Heather Summerhayes Cariou

Imagine being a 6 year old and the younger sister you adore is given a diagnosis where her longevity is uncertain. Feeling guilty about why you are the healthy one and sad because you don’t ever want to lose your sister. Yet, you want to enjoy the time you do have together.

When I first started reading, I had never heard the term Sixtyfive Roses. Pamela pronounced her condition as Sixtyfive Roses as many children with Cystic Fibrosis call it. Pamela was born in 1954 before anyone knew what Cystic Fibrosis was or even how to treat it. You can read a heartwarming interview with Pam before her death on Sixtyfiverosesthebook.com.

However, it is not all sadness. It is about love and how it endures through tough times. Forgiveness even when those closest to us hurt us. Joy and hope when you should have none. The relationship the sisters had brought me tears the entire book – it is a beautiful relationship.

Through all her struggles, Pamela graduated high school, went to college, and became  an owner of a Nursery School for 3 years. Pamela defied the odds and lived to be 26 years old. It is an incredible story you do not want to miss.

If you have a child with CF, this is a must read book. If you don’t have a child with CF, read this book to gain appreciation and live every day to the fullest just as Pam. There is truth in the Tim McGraw song, “Live like you were dying.”

Eva Longoria and UnbeliEVAable Productions have optioned the film rights to Sixtyfive Roses and I look forward to seeing this story on film in the near future.

Other Resources

Video Interview with Pam

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation